It’s hard to imagine an American Thanksgiving table without the popular and ubiquitous turkey in the middle of all the dishes and other food. But shoppers in North Carolina are having apprehensions about the favorite Thanksgiving meal due to the salmonella outbreak and are wondering if turkey would be safe to eat for the holidays.
Such worries are not exactly unfounded as the salmonella outbreak has resulted in at least one death and more than 100 illnesses.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">164 sickened and 1 dead in ongoing turkey Salmonella outbreak, CDC says <a href="https://t.co/TR1muEAUZY">https://t.co/TR1muEAUZY</a> <a href="https://t.co/OSfRk3O4DD">pic.twitter.com/OSfRk3O4DD</a></p>— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gizmodo/status/1061119775445839873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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There has been an ongoing investigation into salmonella outbreak for about a year already.
Officials, however, are quick to give assurances that poultry products in the state, including turkey, are safe. Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Joe Reardon says the incoming holidays are a good opportunity for consumers to be aware of the safety of such poultry products.
Reardon adds that poultry products are safe despite area farms recovering from recent storms like Hurricane Florence. He also says it is important for the state’s poultry industry to recover from the outbreak and the scare it brought with it.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What to know about the salmonella outbreak linked to raw turkey this Thanksgiving <a href="https://t.co/bYwzCgf7ma">https://t.co/bYwzCgf7ma</a> <a href="https://t.co/Liv7s3rjMD">pic.twitter.com/Liv7s3rjMD</a></p>— CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1062949087652274176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Poultry products, including turkey, are more than $34 billion per year industry in the state. The salmonella outbreak which was linked to raw turkey products could have an impact on the country’s second leading agricultural industry, especially as the holidays draw near.
The USDA has so far not named a supplier or suppliers to be accountable for the outbreak. The CDC has also found salmonella at 22 slaughterhouses and seven turkey processing facilities, but none have been publicly identified.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">TAINTED TURKEY: USDA urged to name turkey brands linked to salmonella outbreak ahead of Thanksgiving <a href="https://t.co/PU5U0iIBU5">https://t.co/PU5U0iIBU5</a> <a href="https://t.co/3ID2HSNUEK">pic.twitter.com/3ID2HSNUEK</a></p>— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC7/status/1063241434684260352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, the show must go on, as they say, even for the turkeys. Edwin Patillo, the executive chef at The Pit, said they’re already busy preparing hundreds of turkey over the next week. Patillo insists that the safety of the turkeys, or any poultry product for that matter, rely on proper food handling techniques.
Patillo shares: “The important thing is to wash your hands for about four minutes. You have to take your time and clean your hands.”
The key is also in the thorough cooking of the turkey to destroy salmonella and other foodborne germs.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For Thanksgiving, thaw your turkey in the fridge, NOT on the counter. Now 164 people infected with Salmonella in outbreak linked to raw turkey products. <a href="https://t.co/JsSi2rSVxv">https://t.co/JsSi2rSVxv</a></p>— CDC (@CDCgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1060648411223990272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Reardon adds: “If you cook the products to 165 degrees, you shouldn’t have any issues whatsoever.”
Source:
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